Just today the Doors rediscovered their roots
On 9 February 1970 “Morrison Hotel“, the “return to order” of the Doors. After the orchestral experiments, the brass instruments and the mixed reviews of the previous “The Soft Parade” (1969), the band led by Jim Morrison decided to strip away all artifice to return to their roots: visceral blues and the rawest psychedelic rock.
Where does that sound come from?
The album was born in a climate of tension: Morrison was returning from turbulent Miami trial (at a concert in 1969, drunk and late, he allegedly showed his genitals and incited a riot. Morrison was convicted on 20 September 1970 of acts contrary to morality and blasphemy, but acquitted of the main charges; he was later pardoned posthumously in 2010) and the band felt the need to recover musical credibility. Under the guidance of producer Paul A. Rothchild and engineer Bruce Botnick, the Doors abandoned complex baroque arrangements for a drier sounddirect and almost free of excessive reverberations, typical of live studio sessions.
Although Ray Manzarek usually handled the bass lines with his left hand on his Fender Rhodes Piano Bass, on “Morrison Hotel” the band chose to use session bassists to provide additional groove and rhythmic drive: Lonnie Mackthe legendary blues guitarist played bass on the legendary “Roadhouse Blues”, giving that scratchy timbre and that propulsive push that synth-bass alone could not offer. Ray Neapolitan instead he contributed to most of the other tracks, giving the album a typically blues rock solidity.
The key songs
“Roadhouse Blues” is definitely the technical manifesto of the album. On guitar Robby Krieger uses standard tuning, but with an extremely percussive attack. The harmonica of John Sebastian – credited as “G. Puglese” for contractual reasons – follows a cross-harp style (a technique for playing the diatonic harmonica in a key different from the nominal one of the instrument, positioning itself a fifth above; it is the most used method in blues, because it facilitates the use of the bending on the aspirated notes) which dialogues perfectly with Morrison’s hoarse baritone voice. The piece has the structure of a classic blues, but with a rhythm section (John Densmore / Lonnie Mack) that veers towards a heavy swing, almost a precursor to hard rock. Curiosity: During the “Roadhouse Blues” sessions, dozens of takes were required. The version we hear today is a montage of several recordings, fine-tuned by Botnick to keep the energy consistent from start to finish.
“Peace Frog” is one of the most interesting songs from a technical-compositional point of view. Krieger’s riff is based on a masterful use of the rhythmic wah-wah pedal, almost in a funk style, which contrasts violently with the dark and political lyrics by Morrison, who refers to the Chicago massacres and the blood in the streets. On drums Densmore adopts a jazzy but tight approach, maintaining a constant hi-hat that acts as a metronome for the syncopated rhythms of the guitar.
“Waiting for the Sun” instead comes from the sessions of the 1968 album of the same name and shows the “quiet/loud” dynamic. It goes from a melodic and dreamy introduction to explosions of distortion where Manzarek uses keyboards with a more acidic timbre, creating a bridge between the psychedelia of the early years and the blues of the 1970s.
The album is therefore divided conceptually in two parts: an A side with more aggressive and rhythmic songs and a B side with more introspective and varied songs, ranging from blues to jazz pop. The famous cover photo by Henry Diltz is not a film set: it is the real Morrison Hotel in Los Angeles. The band members positioned themselves behind the glass window, taking advantage of a moment of absence from the doorman, who did not want to give permission for the shot.
